1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of shades. More particularly, the present invention relates to portable sunshade apparatus which can be used by itself or removably attachable to a variety of different sizes and styles of recreational chairs or the like through use of a novel attachment mechanism.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Over the years, various sunshade devices have been developed for providing shade to sunbathers or the like. Conventional umbrella-type devices are still widely used by beachgoers, homeowners, and commercial establishments such as restaurants, hotels and resorts, as a means to provide shade to the user against the sun""s rays. One problem with umbrella-type devices is that they are bulky and inconvenient for transporting them to the beach or other locations which require shade from the sun""s rays. Another problem with these umbrella-type devices is that they are difficult to adjust as the sun changes locations in the sky during the course of the day. Another prior art shade is a ground supported shade having an adjustable canopy but has proven to be inflexible since the user may during one portion of the day, desire to lie upon the beach sand, while during another portion of the day prefer to sit in a beach chair. The prior art ground supported canopy is not adaptable to use on a beach chair.
The following twelve (12) prior art patents are found to be pertinent to the field of the present invention:
1. U.S. Pat. No. 405,038 issued to Koechling on Jun. 11, 1889 for xe2x80x9cBeach Chairxe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cKoechling Patentxe2x80x9d);
2. U.S. Pat. No. 1,480,286 issued to Morganstern on Jan. 8, 1924 for xe2x80x9cSand Or Outing Rest Or The Likexe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cMorganstern Patentxe2x80x9d);
3. U.S. Pat. No. 2,660,186 issued to Marshall et al. on Nov. 24, 1953 for xe2x80x9cShade-Producing Apparatusxe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cMarshall Patentxe2x80x9d);
4. U.S. Pat. No. 3,434,483 issued to Topham on Mar. 25, 1969 for xe2x80x9cPortable Windbreakerxe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cTopham Patentxe2x80x9d);
5. U.S. Pat. No. 4,063,318 issued to Nicholson on Dec. 20, 1977 for xe2x80x9cFolding Frame Assemblyxe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cNicholson Patentxe2x80x9d);
6. U.S. Pat. No. 4,295,481 issued to Gee on Oct. 20, 1981 for xe2x80x9cConvertible Sun Shadexe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cGee Patentxe2x80x9d);
7. U.S. Pat. No. 265,862 issued to Caldwell on Aug. 24, 1982 for xe2x80x9cPole-Mounted Sun Shadexe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cCaldwell Patentxe2x80x9d);
8. U.S. Pat. No. 4,375,901 issued to MacDonald on Mar. 8, 1983 for xe2x80x9cBeach Chairxe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cMacDonald Patentxe2x80x9d);
9. U.S. Pat. No. 5,096,257 issued to Clark on Mar. 17, 1992 for xe2x80x9cSunshade Apparatus For Chairxe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cClark Patentxe2x80x9d);
10. U.S. Pat. No. 5,203,363 issued to Kidwell et al. on Apr. 20, 1993 for xe2x80x9cPortable Canopy Attachmentxe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cKidwell Patentxe2x80x9d);
11. U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,601 issued to Gillins on Oct. 19, 1999 for xe2x80x9cSunshade Apparatus For Recreational Chairxe2x80x9d (hereafter the xe2x80x9cGillins Patentxe2x80x9d); and
12. PCT No. WO 99/18825 for xe2x80x9cSunshade For A Chair And A Chair Incorporating Samexe2x80x9d (hereafter xe2x80x9cthe ""825 PCTxe2x80x9d).
The Koechling Patent discloses a beach chair for providing a backrest to a user.
The Morganstern Patent discloses a sand or outing rest or the like. It is a seating device which includes a rigid seat and back rest.
The Marshall Patent discloses a shade-producing apparatus. The apparatus utilizes a plurality of shorter poles which are connected by links to form an elongated pole.
The Topham Patent discloses a portable windbreaker. It comprises a frame with a cross rod and supporting legs. The cross rod is hinged at its center and the legs pivotable relative to each other and to the cross rod to fold the windbreaker up.
The Nicholson Patent discloses a folding frame assembly for providing support to a user""s head.
The Gee Patent discloses a convertible sunshade which is convertible from a ground supported shade to a chair-back supported shade. The sunshade comprises a U-shaped support member with the bottom portion of the U-shaped support as a rearward support for the shade and the legs of U-shaped support being forwardly positioned.
The MacDonald Patent discloses a beach chair.
The Clark Patent discloses a sunshade apparatus for a chair. It comprises a canopy structure for supporting a fabric cover and adjustably attached to two parallel shade support arms. A pair of clamps hold the shade support arms to the back of the chair.
The Kidwell Patent discloses a portable canopy attachment.
The Gillins Patent discloses a sunshade apparatus for a recreational chair. It comprises a rigid support to which upper edge clips and side edge clips are connected for releasable attachment to the seat back upper edge and seat back side edge. The upper edge clips have a hook portion to enable the sunshade to hang on the seat back upper edge. The canopy frame can be pivoted to a collapsed flat position.
The Caldwell Patent discloses a pole-mounted sunshade. This is a design patent and only protects the shape of the device, not how it operates.
The ""825 PCT discloses a sunshade which is attached to a chair.
It is desirable to provide a portable sunshade apparatus which can be used on the beach sand by itself or adaptable to a beach chair for providing shade against the sun""s rays.
It is also desirable to have a unique attachment mechanism which permits the portable sunshade apparatus to be attached to any type of beach chair or lounge chair.
The present invention is a portable and collapsible sunshade apparatus which is specially adapted to conveniently provide several useful features desired by anyone going to a beach or the like. The purpose of the portable sunshade apparatus is used for blocking the sun""s rays to a user. In addition, the portable sunshade device can be removably attached to outdoor furniture, such as a lounge chair or beach chair by a removable clamping mechanism. Furthermore, the portable sunshade apparatus is rigid enough to be used as a back and head support.
The portable sunshade apparatus can be used by itself and is free-standing. The sunshade apparatus comprises a frame which has a top sunshade portion and a back sunshade portion. The top sunshade portion is hingeably connected to the back sunshade portion and is collapsible inwardly against the back sunshade portion for providing portability to the sunshade apparatus. Two telescopic legs are provided with the back sunshade portion and can be adjusted vertically in an up or down motion to provide a height needed by different users. The bottom ends of the telescopic legs are forced into the beach sand so that the sunshade device can be free standing for blocking the sun""s rays to a user.
The portable sunshade apparatus can be used as a head and back support device, where the telescopic legs are forced into the beach sand at an angle. The top and bottom sunshade portions form an xe2x80x9cAxe2x80x9d cross-section configuration, thereby providing the head and back support device for the user.
The portable sunshade apparatus can be used in conjunction with a lounge chair or the like. There are provided clip-on members which can be snapped or attached onto the lounge chair, where the telescopic legs are inserted into the clip-on members for providing shade to a user sitting in the lounge chair.
An improvement in the present invention is to provide a novel attachment means in the form of a universal clip which will enable any type of sunshade apparatus to be attached to any type of beach chair or lounge chair at any desired height above the occupant of the chair and at any desired angular orientation relative to the chair.
A further improvement in the present invention is to provide a collapsible sunshade apparatus which can be conveniently folded up and carried in a bag so that the sunshade apparatus can be easily transported to the beach or other location for attachment to a beach chair or lounge chair through use of the novel attachment means of the present invention.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable sunshade apparatus for a lounge chair or the like, that will protect a person from the hot summer sun outdoors at the pool, yard, picnic area, beach and the like.
It is also an object of the present invention to a portable sunshade apparatus which is convertible from a ground supported shade to a chair-back supported shade.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a portable sunshade apparatus which is easily locked into a variety of positions so as to enable it to follow the sun during the course of the day to block the sun""s rays.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a portable sunshade apparatus that is simple and easy to use.
It is still a further object of the present invention to provide a portable sunshade apparatus that is economical in cost to manufacture.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a novel attachment means that has a multiplicity of attachment sites to be locked onto the side of a chair to accommodate any type of beach chair or lounge chair.
It is an additional object of the present invention to provide a novel attachment means which includes a rotatable ratchet mechanism so that the attachment portion which supports the legs of a sunshade apparatus can be rotated to any desired orientation relative to the chair so that the sunshade can be locked into a variety of positions so that the shade awning can be adjusted to provide shade from the sun as the angle of the sun""s rays change during the day.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a novel locking mechanism by which the vertical tubing legs of the sunshade apparatus can be secured at any desired location on the clip attachment means so that the height of the sunshade awning above the chair""s occupant can be adjusted to any desired height.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a collapsible sunshade apparatus which can be oriented to a fixed position so that it can be attached to a chair through the novel attachment means and have its awning spread above the chair to provide shade, and when not in use, can be conveniently folded up and carried in a bag so that the sunshade apparatus can be easily transported to the beach or other location for subsequent attachment to a beach chair or lounge chair through use of the novel attachment means of the present invention.
Further novel features and other objects of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, discussion and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the drawings.